November 3, 2007 - The European Parliament adopted, on 24 October 2007, an own-initiative report external drafted by the House's Health and Environment Committee on a smoke-free Europe. The report, adopted external by a large majority, backed wide-ranging restrictions on smoking in public places, rules to make it harder for underage people to buy cigarettes and the designation of environmental tobacco smoke as a class one carcinogen. In particular, the MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) urge member states to introduce, within two years, unrestricted national smoking bans in all enclosed workplaces, including catering establishments and all enclosed public buildings and transport. If these objectives are not attained by all the EU-27, the Commission is urged to submit by 2011 a proposal for EU rules on the protection of non-smokers in the field of employment protection. In this non-binding report, MEPs also backed an amendment calling on the Commission to "investigate the health risks associated with consumption of snus [oral tobacco] and its impact on the consumption of cigarettes". Placing on the market tobacco for oral use has been illegal in the EU since 1992, and just two days ago, the Commission referred external Finland to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for failing to comply with EU legislation on the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products, which specifically prohibits the sale of oral tobacco. "Given the health risks linked to the use of oral tobacco, the Commission has no tolerance for allowing the placing on the market of that product," said European Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou. MEP position statements regarding SNUS. ( MEPs back complete ban on smoking in workplace, EurActiv.com, 10/25/2007)
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November 2, 2007 - - Comments of Michael E. Szymanczyk, chairman and CEO of PM USA, Richmond, Va. "This acquisition, which takes place on the eve of Altria Group Inc.’s intended restructuring, is being undertaken to enhance our long-term growth momentum in the U.S. market and create shareholder value. The acquisition is both strategically compelling and financially attractive. It fits squarely with our announced strategy to grow our U.S. tobacco business beyond cigarettes and complements our recent initiatives in the smokeless category.” Over the 2003 to 2007 period, operating revenues and operating income are estimated to have grown at compound annual rates of approximately 10% and 13%, respectively, driven by the strength of the Black & Mild cigar brand franchise. Szymanczyk added, “The plan is to accelerate the Black & Mild brand’s market share growth momentum in the years ahead by leveraging the expertise and capabilities of both John Middleton Inc. and PM USA.” Black & Mild, a cigar made with a proprietary blend of pipe tobacco, enjoys strong brand equity, high brand awareness and solid volume and share growth momentum, Altria said. The brand is the second-largest selling machine-made large cigar in the United States, it added, with a retail market share of approximately 23%, and the Black & Mild five-cigar pack is the best-selling large machine-made cigar package in the United States, said Altria, citing data through June 2007 from Information Resources Inc. (IRI). It is particularly strong in the U.S. South and Southeast, which together account for approximately 55% of segment volume. (CSP Daily News) C-store owners tell us these cigars are so popular it's hard to keep enough stock on-hand.(TobaccoWatch.org) Click on image to enlarge..Read more...

November 1, 2007 - We have warned people for the last 2-years - those that favor the use of SNUS in harm reduction are convincing our youngsters that the product is save so give it a try. It could happen that our youngsters could be the next generation of nicotine addicts never able to reach their full potential...Experience of a High School Student Using Camel SNUS - from the Kansas City Star, 10/31/2007.. As the Shawnee Mission East choir hit its final note, senior Clark Neal felt the nicotine start to work. It had been only five minutes since he bent down, opened a tin of Camel Snus Spice and wedged the tiny pouch between his gums and upper lip, but he could already feel the buzz. And the best part was, no one could tell he was getting a head rush in the middle of class. 'I really can use Snus whenever and wherever I want,' Neal said. 'It's easy, it's super-discreet ... and none of the teachers will ever know what I'm doing.' Neal knows he isn't the only student who has discovered Camel's newest product: Snus, a non-chew, no-spit oral tobacco. Four or five of his friends use Snus at school on a daily basis, Neal said, and underclassmen find the new product especially appealing. Neal thinks students will continue to use Snus because it's a cheap way to get a fast, discreet fix. 'Pretty much the whole school knows about Snus,' Neal said. Snus has been advertised in The Pitch and The Kansas City Star. In 'The Abridged Guide to Snusing,' published by RJ Reynolds in The Pitch, Snus is described as the perfect tobacco product if you want 'pleasure for wherever.''Tobacco companies are doing everything they can to make tobacco use socially acceptable,' said Edward Ellerbeck, chairman of preventive medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. 'They're flavoring it to make it more appetizing, redesigning the tins to make it more appealing, making everything easier for entry-level use.' Health experts say that's what makes Snus even more dangerous for the younger generation. Doing Snus, getting a head rush and not being caught is appealing to kids, Ellerbeck said, and it's easy to overlook health risks. 'High school kids using Snus scares the hell out of me,' Ellerbeck said. 'Fewer and fewer kids are starting to smoke ... but you can see that for tobacco companies to ensure long-term success, they need a whole new generation of tobacco users. Snus could be the product that sucks kids in.' 'This product allows you to enjoy tobacco pleasure without bothering others.' Instead of smoking a pack of cigarettes a week, Neal, 17, goes through a tin of Snus Spice, or 20 pouches, a week. He pays an 18-year-old friend $8 to buy a $5 tin for him. Neal considers his switch a healthy choice. He hasn't smoked a cigarette in more than a month. Neal, however, considers the benefits of private Snus use more important than potential health and legal hazards. 'I think it's really worth more in terms of when and how frequently I can use it,' Neal said. 'It's a new product, so you have to give it time. But I think it will filter through to everyone eventually.' ( If you think Snus is a safe alternative to smoking, think again, Kansas City Star, 10/31/2007)Read more...

October 31, 2007 - In May 2005 our companies in South Africa and Sweden began test-marketing the sachet variety of snus using two of our major cigarette brands. We were responding to public health stakeholders who told us they believe snus, properly regulated, can contribute to reducing the net public health impact of tobacco use, and to consumers who told us in dialogue that developing less harmful products is one of the most important things a tobacco business can do. Encouraged by feedback from consumers and some health experts, operations in both Sweden and South Africa have expanded and limited sales in Norway started. We have also opened our own snus product development facility at our R&D laboratories in the UK and have run a limited consumer test in Japan. In September 2007 our Canadian subsidiary began a test market in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, using its leading cigarette brand du Maurier. Sweden - Snus is already more popular than cigarettes in Sweden but we set out to see if our global Lucky Strike brand could extend its appeal to adult smokers. Our Nordic company first offered our product in just 300 outlets in Stockholm but it is now available in major cities across the country. South Africa - Snus is now sold under our Peter Stuyvesant and Lucky Strike brands in some 400 outlets in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Snus is not widely known in South Africa but the brands are bringing it to smokers’ attention. At first the tins had to be labelled with the health warning for cigarettes. Research showed that few consumers saw snus as less harmful than smoking and many even believed it was more harmful. In a positive step, the Department for Health allowed a change of health warning from “Causes Cancer” to “Tobacco is Addictive”. A voluntary warning on the side of the tin says: “This tobacco product can be harmful to your health”.

October 30, 2007 - It's great that schools have started posting signs that state NO Tobacco products allowed and NOT simply No Smoking. nitrosamines A recent study by Dr. Stephen Hecht and colleaguessuggests that smokeless tobacco is not a good option for reducing health risks from smoking. Still some public health professionals seem to think SNUS should be used as a harm reduction product in inveterate (firmly and long established) smokers that have no interest in quitting. Tobacco companies are targeting a much younger crowd of young adults and any kids they can entice along the way. We must prevent this from happening or we'll end up with a generation of nicotine addicts. But with SNUS - since it's smoke-free, spit-free, pasteurized tobacco pouches that must be keep in one spot in your mouth how's a teacher suppose to tell. The taglines for Skoal Dry, "No Smoke, No Spit, No Boundaries and Camel SNUS Pleasure for wherever!! Here's a comment from a Metroblogging User - Portland, OR: it doesn't take a genius to see what a boon SNUS would be to underage users. Heck, you could sit in class with some in your mouth, and no one would be the wiser. You could probably hide this stuff from teachers and parents pretty easily. ("You Snus, You Lose" posted by PAgent at 1:50pm on January 8, 2007). Dr. Stephen Hecht at the University of Minnesota tells us that the pasteurization process lowers the carcinogenic in tobacco but the levels are still 10-100 times higher than the levels in any other consumer product. Read more...

March 30, 2007 - Altria completes Kraft Foods spin-off.. The Board of Directors of Altria Group, Inc. voted on January 31, 2007, to authorize the spin off of all shares of Kraft Foods Inc. owned by Altria to Altria's shareholders. The distribution of the approximately 88.9% of Kraft's outstanding shares owned by Altria was made on March 30, 2007, to Altria shareholders of record as of 5:00 p.m Eastern Time on March 16, 2007. Altria's plan to unload Kraft is part of a long-term restructuring plan that may ultimately split the domestic and international tobacco businesses into two companies. The idea behind such a move is that Philip Morris USA and Philip Morris International would no longer be constrained by the other. That would allow Philip Morris USA to expand outside of the nation's borders into more lucrative markets. And Philip Morris International would no longer be dragged down by the messy problems associated with smoking in the United States, from diminished demand to government intervention. ( "Sale of Kraft Foods will allow Altria to focus on tobacco"by Andrew Martin, International Herald Tribune, 3/30/3007) "For years, Philip Morris/Altria has disguised Big Tobacco's political contributions and lobbying behind Kraft Foods. This breakup will really decrease its political cover," explains Executive Director Kathryn Mulvey - Corporate Accountability International (CAI). For example, in 1995 the corporation mobilized its Oscar Mayer employees to lobby the federal government against tobacco regulations. ( "IMPENDING KRAFT SPLIT FROM PHILIP MORRIS/ALTRIA SEEN AS VICTORY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH"After Twenty Years Trying to Fool Consumers Tobacco Giant Prepares for Dramatic Shift, Bryan Hirsch (617) 784-4753 and Patti Lynn (617) 695-2525, CAI, 4/25/2006)

October 29, 2007 - Reduced-Risk Product Market Potentially Lucrative.. Philip Morris USA opened the doors today to its $350-million Center for Research and Technology in Richmond, Va. The 20-story facility will be home to about 500 scientists, engineers and support staff who will be laboring to bring the Altria unit into the next frontier of growth products—reduced-risk tobacco products. Already it has test-marketed Marlboro Ultra Smooth, a cigarette with a pellet-bearing charcoal filter. The product appeared in Tampa, Atlanta and Salt Lake City during spring 2005, but without any claims about reduced risk. Same for Marlboro Snus and Taboka, two spit-free products, which debuted before Marlboro Moist Smokeless Tobacco appeared in Atlanta this month. Both Marlboro smokeless products are likely to begin national distribution during the first half of 2008. The reduced-risk product market is potentially lucrative with cigarette consumption declining annually by 1-2% while smokeless sales grew 6% last year, per the Maxwell Report, Richmond, Va. Philip Morris holds a 50.6% share of the cigarette category. ("Ahead of the Curve? Philip Morris Trying New Avenues" by Mike Beirne, Brandweek, 10/29/2007)

June 28, 2007 - The Newport Pleasure Goods Catalog is readily available a your neighborhood c-store. For 1250 Pack UPCs you can get a Sanyo Digital Camera - the program expires on 9/30/2007. Will it be enough for Newport to hold market share in the ever growing menthol cigarette arena. Click here for information on the Growth of Newport Cigarettes. By the way back on Oct. 25, 2006 Lorillard Tobacco Company (maker of Newport) announced that it has entered into an agreement with Swedish Match North America to jointly develop and market a select line of smokeless tobacco products in the United States. The parties anticipate that an initial product offering may be launched on some basis of geographic distribution in the not too distant future. - see SNUS.biz. Do you think the moist snuff product will be called Newport SNUS or maybe Old Gold SNUS?? Click on Images to Enlarge.(tobaccowatch.org)